Johnny Sauter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johnny Sauter |
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Sauter at Martinsville Speedway in 2019
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| Born | Jonathan Joseph Sauter May 1, 1978 Necedah, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Achievements | 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Regular Season Champion 2017 Oktoberfest winner 2001 ASA National Tour Champion |
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| Awards | 2009 Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2001 ASA National Tour Rookie of the Year |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 85 races run over 11 years | |||||||
| 2015 position | 61st | ||||||
| Best finish | 30th (2007) | ||||||
| First race | 2003 Tropicana 400 (Chicagoland) | ||||||
| Last race | 2015 Daytona 500 (Daytona) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 207 races run over 12 years | |||||||
| 2018 position | 99th | ||||||
| Best finish | 8th (2003, 2006) | ||||||
| First race | 2001 Autolite / Fram 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
| Last race | 2018 Lake Region 200 (New Hampshire) | ||||||
| First win | 2002 Tropicana Twister 300 (Chicagoland) | ||||||
| Last win | 2005 SBC 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 325 races run over 21 years | |||||||
| 2024 position | 39th | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2016) | ||||||
| First race | 2003 O'Reilly 200 (Bristol) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 Zip Buy Now, Pay Later 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| First win | 2009 Las Vegas 350 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
| Last win | 2019 JEGS 200 (Dover) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 8, 2024. | |||||||
Jonathan Joseph Sauter (born May 1, 1978) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is known for racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has also competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Racing runs in his family; his father, Jim, and brothers, Tim and Jay, were also NASCAR drivers. Johnny Sauter won the Truck Series championship in 2016.
Contents
Johnny Sauter's Racing Journey
Early Career and First Wins
After finishing high school in 1996, Johnny Sauter started racing in different amateur series. These races took place across Wisconsin and the Midwest. By the end of 1997, he had already won three times in the Sportsman Division at Dells Raceway Park. He also earned a win in the Late Model Division at the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway.
In 1998, Sauter joined the American Speed Association (ASA) Series. He worked hard and by 2001, he became the ASA Series Champion. This was a big achievement early in his career.
NASCAR Debut and Early Success (2001–2008)
After winning the ASA Championship in 2001, Richard Childress Racing invited Sauter to race in the Busch Series. He drove the No. 21 Chevrolet in five races. In his very first race at Richmond, he finished fifth. This showed he had a lot of talent.
In 2002, Sauter raced full-time in the Busch Series for Childress. He won his first Busch Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in the Tropicana Twister 300. He had five top-10 finishes that year. In 2003, he continued to do well, getting 14 top-10 finishes and another win at Richmond. He finished eighth in the driver standings.
Sauter made his first start in the top NASCAR series, the Winston Cup (now Cup Series), in 2003. He raced for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in five events. In 2004, he raced full-time in the Winston Cup for Childress, but was later replaced. He also raced full-time in the Busch Series that year.
In 2005, Sauter joined Phoenix Racing full-time in the Busch Series. He won a race at his home track in Milwaukee. He also raced in ten Cup Series events, finishing ninth at Phoenix. For 2006, he moved to Haas CNC Racing in the Busch Series, where he earned a pole position and nine top-10 finishes.
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In 2007, Sauter moved to a new Cup Series team with Haas. He had two top-10 finishes that year. After 2007, he left the No. 70 team. In 2008, he raced for Phoenix Racing for a short time. He also filled in for other teams and made one start in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Full-Time in the Truck Series (2009–2021)
In 2009, Sauter returned to the Truck Series full-time with ThorSport Racing. He won his first Truck Series race at Las Vegas. He also earned the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award that season. In 2010, he won his second Truck Series race at Kansas.
Sauter continued his winning streak in 2011, taking his third career victory at Martinsville Speedway. He won the final race of the season but narrowly missed winning the championship by just six points. In 2012, he won the WinStar World Casino 400K.
The 2013 season started strong for Sauter. He won the first two races of the year at Daytona International Speedway and Martinsville. This was a rare achievement in Truck Series history. He also won a third race at Talladega Superspeedway.
In 2015, while still racing full-time in the Truck Series, Sauter competed in several local races in Wisconsin. He won an ARCA Midwest Tour race and set a new track record.
In 2016, Sauter joined GMS Racing. He won his very first race with the team at Daytona. Later in the season, he won at Martinsville and Texas. These wins helped him reach the championship final four. Sauter then won the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship at Homestead.
Sauter had another great year in 2017. He won races at Dover, Chicagoland, Texas, and Phoenix. He made it to the championship round again but finished second in the standings by just one point. In 2018, he started the year by winning the Daytona race for the third time. He went on to win five more races that season and finished fourth in points.
In May 2018, Sauter briefly returned to the Xfinity Series. He drove for GMS Racing at Dover and New Hampshire.
In 2019, GMS Racing and Sauter parted ways. He then rejoined ThorSport Racing. He won a race at Dover in May. However, he was later suspended for one race after an incident at Iowa. He was also eliminated from the playoffs due to engine problems. Despite this, he finished sixth in the final standings.
The 2020 season was tough for Sauter. He did not win any races and missed the Truck Series playoffs for the first time since 2016. He finished 13th in the standings. In 2021, ThorSport Racing switched back to Toyota cars. Sauter still went winless and finished 12th in the standings.
Part-Time Racing (2022–Present)
After two challenging seasons, Sauter became a part-time driver for ThorSport in 2022. He also raced for other teams like G2G Racing and Young's Motorsports. In 2023, he was set to race for G2G again but was replaced just before the Daytona race. Later that year, he drove for Roper Racing. In 2024, he continued to race part-time for different teams, including Niece Motorsports, Hattori Racing Enterprises, and ThorSport Racing.
Personal Life
Johnny Sauter lives with his family in Necedah, Wisconsin. In his free time, he enjoys flying, fishing, and playing the banjo. He is a Catholic.
Images for kids
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Sauter practicing for the 2007 Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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Sauter receiving the Busch Pole Award for the 2005 SBC 250, a race which he would later win.
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Sauter after winning the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship
